The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its definition of close contact of an individual with COVID-19.

Earlier, the CDC defined close contact as someone who spent at least 15 consecutive minutes within six feet of a confirmed COVID-19 case.

In its updated guidelines, it now defines close contact as someone who was within six feet of an infected individual for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, as reported by The Washington Post.

This updated guideline was announced through a CDC statement on Wednesday.

The move came after the United States is seeing about 75 percent increase in cases in the country.

Jay Butler, the CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases, said that people might be tired of the advice but mask-wearing is more important than ever this fall and winter.

This is because Americans head indoors, where transmission risks are greater.

A CDC official who spoke in condition of anonymity said that officials and scientists have been discussing the guidance about transmission for several weeks.

CDC and Vermont officials have discovered that a 20-year-old prison employee contracted COVID-19 after an eight-hour shift.

The said prison employee had 22 interaction over 17 minutes.

Those individuals he had interaction later tested positive for COVID-19.

The report said that available data shows that at least one of the asymptomatic detainees transmitted.

"This article adds to the scientific knowledge of the risk to contacts of those with covid-19 and highlights again the importance of wearing face masks to prevent transmission," the CDC was quoted in a report.

CDC said that as many as half of all people who got the virus do not show any symptoms.

This emphasizes the importance of wearing a mask as you could be a carrier and not know it, the CDC said.

Updated Guidance

Epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Caitlin Rivers, said that the updated guidance is an important move.

Rivers said that it is easy to accumulate 15 minutes in small increments when people spend all day together.

"I expect this will result in many more people being identified as close contacts," Rivers was quoted in a report.

Former CDC director during the Obama administration, Tom Frieden, said that the updated guidance is a "sensible change."

However, he added that close contact depends on exposure, environment, and infectivity of the carrier.

U.S. COVID-19 Cases

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said that the country is preparing for a third wave of COVID-19 infections, according to a Live Science report.

Gottlieb added that the U.S. is about a week away form the surge in COVID-19 cases.

The former commissioner added that COVID-19 cases are increasing 45 states, while hospitalizations related to the pandemic are spiking in 42 states.

He said that the U.S. is facing a tough situation right now, adding that this will be a difficult fall and winter for the country.

As of now, the United States has a total of 8.37 million cases with 222,000 deaths.

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